Appointment in Nora, on an August evening, to put down on paper the intention to fight together with all our strength to protect the landscape. A single assembly for five Municipalities that are trying to resist voracious interests, put in place in the name of the ecological transition: it is right to do it in an extraordinary archaeological site, among ruins overlooking a sea of poignant beauty for centuries, looking at a horizon threatened by shadow of gigantic wind towers. Because the stakes are very high and what is done or not done will have long, very long-term repercussions. And it achieved great participation success. Mission accomplished.
The assemblies
The idea comes from the mayor of Pula, Walter Cabasino: to convene all the municipal councils of the towns along the coast. It goes from Sarroch, with its refinery, to Teulada, with its military range. In the middle Pula, Villa San Pietro and Domus De Maria, an area capable of attracting tourists from all over the world. «We must share this critical issue together», explains Cabasino: «I have invited both the mayors of the Union of Nora-Bithia Municipalities and others who want to intervene. I wanted there to also be committees set up to oppose the assault: they developed ideas, activated debates, put forward proposals. Everything must now be brought back into an institutional framework to give greater power to the Region and the Municipalities."
Pula, continues the mayor, is fighting «to avoid the installation of 93 enormous 280 meter high wind towers 12 miles from our coast: they would be visible, they would disfigure the landscape, a non-negotiable asset for our territory, where they are an important site archaeological, areas of community interest, two parks (Geominerario and Gutturu Mannu, three stages of three paths (Francescano, Sant'Efisio and delle Cento torri). It would be a disaster. We people from Pula have received so much from nature and from our ancestors: we have the There is an obligation to protect these treasures and pass them on to future generations. And those who have made investments must also be protected. There are 35 hotels in our area, half of which are 4/5 stars, with 8,000 beds: a sector that cannot be damaged by which is mere speculation. The offshore parks “Nora 1” and “Nora 2” (the names themselves are an affront and a lack of respect for our history) would provide energy for one and a half million people".
Sacrifices already made
Cabasino clarifies what all the mayors of this area agree on: «We are not against the energy transition: right objectives but this is mere speculation. We want to be able to decide, if we want to participate in this process, how to do it. Sardinia's interests must be at the centre."
Especially since this territory has already sacrificed so much to national interests. Ask, for example, Angelo Milia, mayor of Teulada: «We – he clarifies – insist on two projects, South Sardinia 1 and 2, one of which involves the infamous passage of cable ducts on the Tuerredda beach. An emblematic project, from which the absurdity of the situation in which we find ourselves can be measured. For us, the idea that we could even think of digging under one of the most famous beaches in all of Sardinia for infrastructure is unacceptable. We don't like the method, this is not the way to face an ecological transition which we also consider necessary as a prospect. Our territory has already given: we host a large shooting range, the Municipality has more than done its part. There must be a rebalancing."
Agricultural land
On the opposite side of the coast there is Sarroch, with its enormous refinery: «For us – explains the mayor Angelo Dessì – paradoxically the impact of the projects is more linked to the land than to the sea. “Nora 1” and “Nora 2” are united by the arrival of cables in the Villa d'Orri area. If they passed, 18 hectares would be gutted for substations in one of the areas suited to agriculture. Our territory is already disfigured by the impact of the refinery. We have already given in terms of land use." And wind power is not the only problem: «There is also an attempt at speculation for ground-based photovoltaics», adds Dessì. In Sarroch there is an ongoing «frantic search for areas, hundreds of hectares, which we would like to cover with panels. We already have a very considerable surface area dedicated to industrial plants, we don't want to deprive ourselves of interesting agricultural areas for pure speculation. The moment is decisive: sixty years ago a choice was made that decided the fate of this territory. We now have very strong responsibilities for the future: we must make the right choice."
«Zero suitable areas»
«At Domus De Maria», says the mayor Concetta Spada, «we received the first requests in 2022, and as long as it was possible, that is until the entry into force of the Draghi Decrees, we participated in all the decision-making processes, in the various conferences of service, making legal opposition in all offices. We didn't even let a deadline pass. We received ten requests from ten companies, for as many wind farms that partly overlook territorial waters and partly international waters. We oppose this invasion with all our strength, especially since in our territory there is a protected marine area which, to be operational, only awaits publication in the Official Journal."
Spada doesn't just have the mayor's weapons: «I am part of an inter-ministerial commission on sea measures and in that context, carrying out in-depth studies in view of the environmental impact assessment, it was highlighted that these plants lead to an irreversible change in the health of the sea ». Spada also presides over the Union of Municipalities: «Over the years, in the various resolutions approved, the municipal administrations that are part of it have always remained in agreement to oppose, starting from 2022, attempts at speculation. Each Municipality must follow an individual path but it is essential to be united and strongly oppose the inclusion of this territory among the areas suitable for the installation of wind or photovoltaic parks".
